Five arrested, face fraudulent prescription charges

NORTH COUNTY – State narcotics agents arrested five county residents on suspicion of unlawfully obtaining thousands of dollars worth of prescription drugs, the state Attorney General's office said Thursday.

The group allegedly obtained 2,500 pills – mostly Oxycontin, a narcotic, and Xanax, a sedative – with a street value of more than $70,000 during the first three months of the year, the AG's office said.

The state Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement said that Christopher Zenkus, 24, of Poway stole the medical license and Drug Enforcement Administration numbers of a physician in San Diego and subsequently ordered five blank prescription pads.

Authorities say that the group used the pads to fraudulently fill prescriptions at 11 pharmacies in the county.

Authorities seized paperwork that they say indicates Sean Christiansen, 24, of Vista was making about $31,000 a week by illegally selling the prescription drugs.

Agents also arrested three 20-year-olds: Stephen Cleeton of Poway; Courtney Morgan of San Diego; and Erica Peterson of Del Mar. One of the alleged conspirators, Paige Billheimer, 21, of San Diego, hasn't been arrested, the office said.

The five will face different charges, ranging from commercial burglary to forgery of narcotics prescriptions. They face one to five years in prison if convicted, the AG's office said.

In February, a San Marcos pharmacist called a doctor's office after a young woman tried to fill a prescription for 120 Xanax pills. Told the woman wasn't a patient, the pharmacist alerted the AG's office, which began its investigation.

Authorities said the five obtained nearly 1,400 Xanax pills and more than 1,000 Oxycontin pills, as well as more than 700 hydrocodone pills, nearly 400 Percocet pills, and dozens of Adderall pills.